Baker & McKenzie has appointed leading pharmaceutical lawyer Julian Thurston as a consultant in its global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group in London. Thurston joins from Morrison & Foerster where he was a consultant and previously a partner, handling commercial life sciences transactions. He focuses on strategic joint ventures, licensing and collaborations with a particular emphasis on the growth markets, especially China, Latin America and Russia.

The firm’s global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry group comprises more than 450 lawyers and other legal professionals who serve pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and healthcare companies across a variety of areas, including: M&A and corporate transactions; tax; compliance and regulation; antitrust; disputes and intellectual property.